Francisco Trincao: Teammate of both Ronaldo & Messi but goes by 'Mahrez from Minho'

Replacing Riyad Mahrez is an almost impossible task, but in Francisco Trincao, Al Ahli have recruited a player that could just about be the perfect successor.

Why? Because he grew up modelling his game on the Algerian.

Trincao, 26, represents the headline addition at Al Ahli thus far this summer, the talented winger brought in from Sporting CP to succeed Mahrez after the decision was made not to extend the Algerian’s contract.

And the move has already paid dividends. Trincao has started life brilliantly at Al Ahli, with a goal and an assist in three Roshn Saudi League matches. 

In fact, his incredible strike against Abha was even nominated for BSF Goal of the Week.

So, with Al Ahli set to travel to Al Hilal on Tuesday for the standout game of the 2026-27 RSL thus far, we examine just who is Trincao - and why the back-to-back Asian champions are so excited to have him.

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“Mahrez from Minho”

Hailing from the small city of Viana do Castelo in the Minho region of northern Portugal, Trincao was a key part of Portugal’s much vaunted 1999 generation that captured the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2018.

Growing up in Portugal during the peak Cristiano Ronaldo years, naturally he admits the Al Nassr superstar is his hero. However, in an interview with Transfermrkt, Trincao revealed that he actually styled his game on another world-class wideman.

“Yes, my idol is Cristiano Ronaldo, and I can't fail to mention Neymar, a player I really enjoy watching,’ Trincao said. “However, the player whose playing style I most identify with is Riyad Mahrez.”

That claim led to one Portuguese media outlet referring to Trincao as the “Mahrez from Minho”. Now, almost a decade on, he steps into the shoes left by Mahrez at Al Ahli.

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Braga’s Boy

So many of Portugal’s stars come through one of the country’s big three: Benfica, Porto or Sporting.

Trincao, though, bucked that trend, emerging from the academy at the Minho region’s lead club, SC Braga. There, he was developed and moulded by coaches such as Joao Aroso, who most recently was assistant coach with the Korea Republic.

“[Francisco] already had very clear ambition: he wanted to become one of the best footballers in the world," Aroso previously told Bleacher Report.

It didn’t take long before the rest of Europe were alerted to his talents, Trincao signing for Barcelona not long after his 20th birthday. The transfer prompted Braga’s president, Antonio Salvador, to declare: “He is one of our best players. Trincao will mark the decade from now on."

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The Barca Years

For most footballers, especially those from the Iberian Peninsula, signing for a club like Barcelona is the ultimate dream. To do so at only 20 years of age, albeit with a burgeoning reputation, is something else altogether.

“When Barça signed me, I didn’t know what to say, I had no words,” Trincao said in an interview with BarcaTV. “I was speechless. Arriving at FC Barcelona is a source of pride and a very important step for me. I can’t wait.”

While it may not have worked out exactly as he had planned, Trincao still played a full season in the COVID-19-interrupted 2020-21 La Liga season, making more than 40 appearances across that campaign during a time of major upheaval and transition at the Catalan club.

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Learning from the best

As a player, you would consider it lucky to call yourself a teammate of either Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Trincao is one of the fortunate few who has shared a dressing room with both: Messi at Barcelona, Ronaldo with the Portugal national team.

“Playing with Messi at Barcelona gave me a bit more maturity,” Trincao said in an interview with Portuguese outlet A Bola. “He had a big impact on me; I learned a lot. He was amazing for me.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is also incredible - they’re the two best players in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to play with the two best players in the world, each doing things in their own way - and I learned a lot from what they got across in the changing rooms. It’s so good to have been able to experience that.”

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The Thinking Footballer

As a winger from Portugal who has spent time at Barcelona, and models his game on Mahrez, one can get a picture of the type of player Trincao is. But just exactly which kind?

Former SC Braga coach Abel Ferreira, who handed Trincao his debut first with Braga B in 2016 and then with the senior team in 2018, is someone that knows Al Ahli's star signing better than most.

“His traits as a player are most similar to [Luis] Figo’s, as he wasn’t an extremely pacey winger, but he was skillful and could beat players,” Ferreira told Spanish media.

“He doesn’t have the speed of Simao or [Ricardo] Quaresma. He’s more of an intelligent player. [Johan] Cruyff used to say that a No.2 has to understand what a No.9 does. And Trincao understands the game to that kind of level.

“His strongest feature is between the ears: his brain. If you tell him to do something 10 times, he’ll do it 12. If you tell him to do it 15 times, he’ll do it 20.

"He’s very well-educated, from a wonderful family, and has been raised on great values. If you add that to his ability, he has everything he needs to succeed.”